The Promotion
by forensicsfan
Summary: Post Ep for Eleven Angry Jurors - Nick and Sara are up for a promotion, what happens while they wait to learn who gets it?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own them, didn't create them, don't profit from them, but I'd really like to have coffee with George Eads.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick thought about the rumor circulating about Sara getting the promotion because of her history with Grissom; this, even though no official announcement had been made. He didn't have much time to really stew about it, he had a case to work on, and as he worked he realized that regardless of the outcome, he was satisfied with the way he was doing his job. Everyone was critical about how he let his emotions get involved in a case, how he tended to show empathy to the victim's family, but that was just part of who he was and how he did his job. He couldn't change Grissom's mind if the rumor was true, and if it was, it wasn't going to change the way he did his job. Sara was a very capable CSI and he had nothing but admiration for her, not to mention a great deal of attraction. She'd had a tough last couple of months and they'd been spending more and more time together outside of work. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but after spending time with her and hearing about how Grissom had turned her down, and had witnessed how abrupt he'd been with her over the last few months, he'd gotten to know quite a bit more about Sara. She'd allowed him to see inside of her and what made her tick. He felt privileged that she counted him a true friend.  
  
The twists and turns of a case never ceased to surprise Nick. He had wrapped up his case and discussed it with Grissom, now all he wanted to do was grab a bite to eat and head home for some much deserved rest. He ambled down the hallway to collect his gear out of his locker. As he entered he noticed Sara sitting in front of her locker with a grimace on her face. He furrowed his brow in concern. "Everything ok, Sara?"  
  
She glanced up at him and let out a deep breath. "Why is it that no matter how hard I work my ass off, all Grissom does is criticize?"  
  
Nick was perplexed. "Uh, what exactly do you mean?" He opened his locker and pulled out his jacket.  
  
She scowled and crossed her arms in front of her body. "I brief him about the progress of the case and where things are at, who is doing what and he just looks at me and asks me what I'm doing. I just don't get it."  
  
Nick let out a deep breath and sat down on the bench next to her. "You just have to do your job, Sara."  
  
She glanced over at him, not really understanding his statement. "I am doing my job."  
  
Nick nudged her arm with his elbow and turned his head toward her. "Sara, you're too concerned with what he thinks. You need to be willing to do your job the way you do your job, not the way Warrick does his job, not the way Catherine does her job, and not the way Grissom does his job."  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so but if I do it the way you do, its ok?" She was only half teasing him.  
  
Nick smiled. "All I'm saying is, you need to be true to who you are and embrace what makes you unique. All of us can't do this job the same way, and quite frankly we shouldn't, that's one of the reasons why we're the number two lab in the country."  
  
"It just pisses me off that he gets to me like that, and with the promotion still up in the air I feel like I'm walking on egg shells." Sara looked over at Nick, appreciative of their close friendship.  
  
He smiled at her. "Do you want to talk about his over breakfast? I'm hungry."  
  
She laughed. "When are you not hungry, Nick?"  
  
"When I'm sleeping." He grinned.  
  
They left the lab and headed over the diner around the corner, snagging a booth toward the back, away from the noise of the front door. Once they'd put in their orders, they resumed their earlier conversation.  
  
Nick sipped a cup of coffee. "I don't know why you're so worried about the promotion, Sara. You're a damn good CSI."  
  
Sara let out a huff. "Well according to all the rumors flying around, people seem to think I've got it in the bag because of my 'history' with Grissom."  
  
Nick chuckled. "I'd heard that too."  
  
Sara had a mixture of frustration and vulnerability on her face. "It's not true. The only history I have with Grissom is a student-teacher relationship. I just added fuel to the fire by asking him out like an idiot."  
  
Nick smiled softly at her. "Hey, you're not an idiot, he is. Why he didn't say yes is beyond me. There are plenty of guys who would practically kill to go out with you."  
  
"Greg and suspects don't count as plenty of guys." Sara responded dryly.  
  
Nick laughed. "Who said I was talking about Greg."  
  
"Well Archie has a girlfriend, and David's not my type." Sara continued.  
  
The waitress arrived with their orders and they dug into their food.  
  
"You know, even if I get the promotion, everyone is going to wonder if it's because of whatever rumors have circulated about me and Grissom since I started working here. It won't matter that I've worked my ass off for three and a half years." Sara sounded frustrated.  
  
"I don't think that, Sara. I know that you work harder than almost anyone here." He let out a deep breath before continuing. "But I still think you worry too much about what Grissom thinks."  
  
"Don't you?" Sara furrowed her brow.  
  
"I care about what he thinks because I respect him as a scientist and as my boss, but I'm not going to change who I am or how I do my job because I'm worried about whether or not I'm going to get a promotion. If I think he's wrong about something, I'm going to tell him. That may work to my detriment professionally in the short term, but I'm not willing to change who I am to try and advance my career."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow. "You once told me that you don't have a career without a job."  
  
Nick smiled. "That's true, but I have a job and as far as I know, it's not in jeopardy. I may not get the promotion because of the kick ass competition I'm up against, but I'm pretty sure I'm a damn good CSI and my skills are valued around here."  
  
Sara smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm up against some pretty kick ass competition too." 


	2. Toss, Turn, and Run

Nick was tired. He thought he'd be able to go right to sleep once he'd gotten home, but now he had the conversation he'd had with Sara at breakfast on his mind. He wondered if the rumors he'd heard circulating around the lab that she'd gotten the promotion instead of him had any truth to them. If they were true, it was certainly disappointing; not that Sara would get the promotion instead of him, he could live with that because she was a brilliant CSI. But if Sara was given the promotion, she and everyone who had bought into the rumors would question whether she'd received it on her own merits as a CSI or because of some mysterious history she had with Grissom, that both he and she knew didn't exist to the extent the rumors implied.  
  
If she got the promotion, she'd wonder what Grissom was up to after she'd finally gotten over him, and she'd wonder what everyone else thought. If she didn't get the promotion, she'd wonder if it was because she had asked Grissom out, and the gossip mongers around the lab would have a heyday with that.  
  
If he got the promotion, he wondered how that would affect their friendship. He hoped that it wouldn't affect it negatively. He valued her friendship and over the last couple of months they'd gotten closer. He didn't want to lose that, but he also wasn't going to turn down the promotion if it was offered to him simply because it might upset Sara. She needed to accept whatever decision was made gracefully. He just wasn't sure she would.  
  
He let out a deep breath, he knew she was very capable and certainly possessed the skill to get the promotion, but if he was honest with himself, he also knew that she'd been off her game the last few months. She was walking around as if she was perpetually pissed off and the way that Grissom talked to her when he did talk to her certainly hadn't helped. Nick wondered if there was something else bubbling below the surface that was responsible for her mood swings. Now as he lay there, he was worried about her.  
  
He didn't think that just the issue with Grissom was responsible for that. He'd seen how she reacted to certain cases and as he considered it, he mentally kicked himself in the ass. He wondered how had he missed it; he of all people. He made a note to himself to talk to her, to find a way to edge into a conversation with her about it, but he couldn't just come out and say it. He knew that she'd deny it, she'd be pissed off with him for even bringing it up, but Nick suspected that she needed to talk about it, needed it more than she would admit or could imagine.  
  
He wondered if anyone really knew Sara, if she let anyone know her. He felt badly that things with her and Hank had ended so negatively. He felt partially responsible for encouraging her to get out more; Hank had helped to sour her perspective on men in general and Grissom had helped to solidify that. Sara used to smile a lot more before that happened and now, she seemed sullen quite a bit of the time. He worried about her. He'd made an effort to get her to do things with him outside of work over the last couple of months, but much of the time she had spent grousing about Grissom and how unfairly she was being treated at work, but he'd still been able to make her laugh. He could live all day on that laugh, but he wished that he could do something to take away whatever was causing Sara to doubt herself so much and cause her to hurt.  
  
He spent the next several hours trying to get some sleep, but finally gave up and went for a run. When he got back he was beyond tired. He didn't even bother to take his shoes off or change into his pajamas; he just stumbled to his bedroom and crawled onto his bed, falling into an exhausted sleep within minutes.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara had finished cleaning her apartment from top to bottom. Everything was in its place and now she dreaded trying to fall asleep. The promotion still being up in the air was weighing heavily on her mind. She appreciated that Nick viewed her as kick ass competition for it, but at the same time, she wondered if he really thought that; if anyone really thought that. The rumors circulating made it sound like she had the promotion nailed down. That really bothered her because they also insinuated that the reason for it was because she'd had a history with the boss; a very intimate history. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Sara prized her privacy, she didn't like her personal life being broadcast all over the lab anymore than anyone else did, but to have things that weren't even true being gossiped about cut her to the quick.  
  
Sara knew that Nick was well meaning when he'd told her she needed to do her job in her own way, but it seemed to her that no matter how she did her job, Grissom always criticized. Wasn't it Nick that had told her that the point of doing your job to please your boss? When she'd taken a stand a few times and told Grissom she thought that he was wrong, she'd been reprimanded for it. At the moment, she wasn't sure where she stood in the whole scheme of things, but she certainly didn't expect that if she got the promotion it would be a result of any history with Grissom.  
  
She remembered when Grissom had called her to come out to Vegas to investigate Warrick. She'd been flattered at the invitation and it couldn't have come at a better time. Things with her career in San Francisco had stalled and the ego boost of having someone as well respected in the forensic world as Gil Grissom specifically request her help had propelled her toward Las Vegas feeling heady with anticipation of how this would advance her career, not to mention the crush she had on him. She had been teacher's pet when she'd first met him and it had carried over when she first arrived in Vegas.  
  
But now she was questioning everything. Her job was her identity; and for people to question her getting a promotion based on anything other than her skill as a criminalist hit her hard. She had worked her ass off for three and a half years in Vegas, trying to please Gil Grissom, trying to impress her coworkers. Now it seemed to have backfired.  
  
When she'd first arrived in Vegas, she'd ridden the wave of Grissom's approval. Grissom wanting her there had given her a huge ego boost and she'd learned a lot from working with him. The others, however, had proven much more difficult to win over, except for Nick. That's probably why they'd become such good friends. With Nick, it was what you see is what you get. She remembered working a case with him once shortly after she'd moved where she'd commented on how Grissom had hand picked her for the job, and he'd quipped right back to keep telling herself that. Catherine might be outright hostile to her at times, Warrick might doubt her sincerity once in a while, Grissom might not appreciate her, but at least Nick was her friend come hell or high water. If nothing else, moving to Vegas had been worth it to find a friend like him.  
  
The promotion though, she wondered what would happen. If she got it, she knew she'd worked hard enough to deserve it, but would anyone else see it that way and if she didn't get it what then? How would everyone view her? Would she wonder if it was because Grissom was somehow trying to put her in her place after he'd made it clear he didn't want to go out with her?  
  
If Nick got the promotion how would it change her friendship with him? She knew he was a great criminalist, he deserved a promotion. He'd worked in Vegas longer than she had. He'd been a CSI III longer than she had. She had almost always been impressed with how he did his job, with a few exceptions, and the way he managed to almost always keep his cool regardless of the situation spoke volumes about his character and professionalism.  
  
But she wanted that promotion, needed that promotion. Her identity as a criminalist almost depended upon it. She felt so much uncertainty; the same kind of uncertainty she felt about other areas of her life that had seemed to plague her. If she failed at this, what did it say about her? She hadn't let very many people get close to her; if they knew the real Sara Sidle she didn't really think they'd like her very much. She wasn't even sure she knew who the real Sara was outside of being a criminalist.  
  
After what had happened with Hank and then Grissom, her confidence was at an all time low. She had spent a lot of time with Nick outside of work over the last couple of months and it had been good for her, but she was sure that at some point, his patience with her ranting about work and Grissom would wear thin and even he wouldn't want to spend time with her. If he got the promotion, what would it do to their friendship? That worried her. She knew they were friends, but what would happen if she was left behind professionally? Would he view her skills in lesser light? If she believed what he'd said at breakfast that morning she didn't think he would, but at the moment she doubted herself so much that she wasn't sure what to believe.  
  
She pulled herself into bed and spent the next three hours tossing and turning before finally drifting off into a fitful sleep. 


	3. Exhaustion and Exasperation

Sara was on her third cup of coffee and shift hadn't even begun. She'd managed to get about three and a half hours of sleep before she decided to just head into work. She reasoned that the more she worked, the more likely she'd get the promotion. However, she was already dangerously close to hitting her limit of overtime for the month and she had wrapped up all of her current cases. The only thing left to do was paperwork.  
  
Several hours later, Grissom sauntered into the break room in search of coffee, finding Sara sitting at the table in the center of the room with her head resting on her arms, sound asleep. Worry and frustration lined his brow. He wondered how long she'd been there and whether she'd actually gone home. Her behavior over the last couple of months had thrown him completely for a loop. She'd asked him out after the lab explosion and he'd turned her down. And for good reason. He was her supervisor. People would talk. The fact that at the time his hearing was diminishing and he didn't know if its progression could be halted was another factor; he didn't need another complication.  
  
He'd heard the rumors circulating around the lab about him and Sara. He'd tried to remain aloof and immune from them, but the truth was he wasn't sure how he viewed Sara. Sometimes he thought he might have feelings for her, but if he chose to pursue them, the risk was far greater with her than with almost anyone else. It just didn't seem logical. And now with the promotion being an issue, he wasn't sure what to say to Sara. He'd recommended Nick for the promotion, and he felt that the young man deserved it, even more than Sara. But he worried about her reaction to the news when the announcement was made and he worried about how all the lab gossip would affect her. She had changed over the last several months and he wasn't sure she was the same person. In many respects he felt responsible for her sullen demeanor and her sharp replies to him. He couldn't blame her. He'd acted like an ass towards her, but he didn't know how else to get the message across to her that there could never be anything romantic between them regardless of any feelings he might harbor.  
  
He left the break room quietly, deciding that one of the others on the night shift could rouse her from her slumber. She probably needed to sleep more than any of them knew.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick became aware that there was an annoying ringing noise somewhere near his head. He tried to ignore it by pulling a pillow over his head. A short time later the noise stopped, only to start up again. Finally, Nick realized that the phone near his bed was ringing. He reached out and fumbled around to grab the phone, pulling it under the pillow.  
  
"Stokes." Nick sounded as tired as he felt and the pillow only served to muffle his voice.  
  
"Nick, shift started six minutes ago. Where are you?" Warrick's voice sounded through the line.  
  
Nick cursed and rolled onto his back, tossing the pillow somewhere in the vicinity of his headboard. "I overslept."  
  
"You'd better get your ass in here, Grissom doesn't seem too happy." There was muffled talking in the background. Warrick came back on the line. "Grissom said for you to just meet Sara at 2763 Silver Sand Lane."  
  
"Ok." Nick sat up and realized that he'd fallen asleep in his running clothes. He hung up the phone and took a quick shower, changed, and was out the door in less than ten minutes.  
  
When he arrived on the scene, Sara was standing outside the modest two story home talking to Detective Vega. There was something about her expression that caused Nick to swallow the cheery comment that was on the tip of his tongue. Instead, as he approached, his expression was serious. "What do we have?"  
  
Sara glanced up at him and in her eyes he could see that this was not a case that Sara Sidle should be working. "Young woman, mid-twenties. It appears that she was raped and then murdered."  
  
Nick measured his response. "Suspect?"  
  
Vega turned toward him. "We've got the boyfriend in custody. He claims that things just got out of hand, but you'll have to determine if the evidence supports that."  
  
"Thanks." Nick studied Sara as they made their way into the house to start processing the scene.  
  
The ligature marks on the victim's neck were evidence that she'd most likely been strangled, neither Nick nor Sara were buying the boyfriend's story that it was just rough sex that had gotten a little out of hand.  
  
They had just finished up and were loading the evidence into Sara's Denali when Nick's cell phone rang. "Stokes." He glanced over at Sara who continued to load their kits into the back of the SUV. "Yeah, she's right here." He furrowed his brow for a moment. "I'll ask her." He pulled the phone away and glanced over at Sara. "Do you have your cell phone on?"  
  
She glanced at him and he could tell that she didn't want to answer the question. For whatever reason, she'd not answered the phone the two or three times Grissom had said he'd tried to call her since they'd arrived on their scene.  
  
"Her battery died." Nick looked directly at her as he covered for her. He knew there was a reason that she didn't want to talk to Grissom and it was most likely because of the case they had just worked. "We've got just a little bit more to do here and we'll be back at the lab right after that." Nick hung up his phone and studied Sara who continued to load the Denali with the evidence bags.  
  
She knew that he was watching her and she finally turned to face him. "What?" Her tone was defensive.  
  
Nick let out a sigh. "Sara, what's going on? I know your phone isn't dead."  
  
"I just don't want to talk to him." She responded, hoping to leave the conversation at that.  
  
"He's our boss. When he calls you're supposed to answer the phone." Nick hoped he didn't sound like he was lecturing her. He knew that processing this scene had been particularly hard on her.  
  
She glared at him. "Nick, right now, I don't want to hear it. Ok?"  
  
Nick rested his hands on his hips and tried to collect his thoughts before he spoke. "What did he say to you?"  
  
Sara hated how he was able to know what she was thinking. It made her feel vulnerable, something she didn't want to feel around anyone most of the time. But she trusted Nick and she knew if she didn't tell him something that he'd keep pressing her until she did. "It's not just what he says, it's what he does."  
  
Nick leaned against the Denali. "Sara, can I ask you something?"  
  
There was something in Nick's tone that caused a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. But she didn't want to let on that anything was wrong even though it was abundantly obvious that everything wasn't ok. "Yeah, sure."  
  
Nick studied her as he talked. "These cases, the ones with these young women, they're hard for you; harder than the others."  
  
Sara stiffened slightly.  
  
Nick continued. "For some reason, Grissom keeps sending you out on them. That's what's you're upset, isn't it?"  
  
A look of surprise crossed her face as she glanced at Nick. "I'm not upset."  
  
Nick's expression registered disbelief. "Sara, I know you. I know you're upset. I can see it in your eyes."  
  
"Look, we need to get the evidence back to the lab." Sara tried to change the subject, turning around to close the back of the Denali.  
  
Nick reached out and turned her to face him. "Sara, the evidence can wait for a minute."  
  
Her expression was hard, but edged with hurt. "Fine, I'm upset, are you happy?" She wouldn't look him in the eye.  
  
Nick shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders. "No, I'm not happy. I'm worried about you."  
  
"Nick, I'm fine." Her voice wavered and she tried to push away from him as she tried to keep control of her emotions.  
  
Nick let her step away. "We're not done talking."  
  
She let out an exasperated sigh. "You can be such an ass sometimes."  
  
He smiled at her. "I may be an ass, but I'm your friend and this conversation isn't over."  
  
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying to restrain a smirk. "Fine, but breakfast is on you." 


	4. Grousing about Grissom

As Sara drove back to the lab she groused to herself. She really didn't want to talk to Nick about why that scene had upset her so much; why scenes like it always did. She knew she'd have to placate him somewhat and she thought she could do that by talking around the edges of the issue. She formulated in her mind what she'd say, how she'd say it, and what she was not about to tell him. At the moment she was more pissed off at Grissom than she was afraid of talking with Nick. She knew he'd called her several times while she'd been working the scene. She had turned the ringer on her phone to vibrate after the first time he'd called; and he'd called more than the two or three times he'd indicated to Nick.  
  
Sara just didn't get him. The man was hot and cold and quite frankly, she'd had enough of it. She knew that Nick was right, that when he called and she was on a scene she should answer the phone because he was her boss, but on the other hand, he went from literally biting her head off to acting like he was about to ask her out. Sara couldn't take the pendulum swing any longer. Her own life was complicated enough right now without Grissom continually adding to it.  
  
She pulled into the parking lot of the lab and turned the Denali off. Nick pulled in next to her as she descended from the vehicle. They unloaded the evidence from the back of her SUV and checked it into the evidence vault before heading towards the break room for a cup of coffee.  
  
On the way there, they were intercepted by Grissom, who by all appearances was somewhere between worry and rage. He narrowed his gaze at Sara, his expression softening slightly. "Sara, you need to make sure your cell phone is charged at all times. When I need to get a hold of my CSIs, it's important."  
  
Sara glanced at Nick out of the corner of her eye. They were both aware that Grissom seemed more than a little wound up. "Ok. What did you need?" She measured her words carefully, unsure of why he was so visibly shaken.  
  
Grissom paused, glancing at Nick for a moment before turning his attention back to Sara. "Uh, that's all."  
  
"Ok." Sara looked at him with a perplexed expression on her face.  
  
Grissom headed down the hallway toward his office and Nick and Sara continued on toward the break room. Sara caught Nick's glance and she gave him a quizzical look. "What was that about?"  
  
Nick shrugged his shoulders.  
  
Catherine was in the break room when they entered and her expression seemed similar to Grissom's.  
  
This time it was Nick that asked the question. "Catherine, what's going on?"  
  
Catherine glanced tentatively at Sara and then faced Nick. "Uh, one of the victims at the double homicide we just processed could pass as Sara's twin."  
  
"What?" Sara shook her head slightly and stared at Catherine.  
  
Catherine looked Sara in the eye. "One of the victim's bears a striking resemblance to you, Sara. Grissom's a little freaked out."  
  
Worry flashed across Nick's face.  
  
Sara looked visibly angry. "Why the hell is he freaking out? I'm not the victim, now am I?"  
  
Catherine raised her hands as if to try and calm Sara down. "Hey, I just wanted to give you a heads up."  
  
Sara looked like she was about to say something else to Catherine when Nick intervened. He walked over to where she was standing and quickly put his arm around her shoulder and propelled her toward the door. "Sara, let's take a little walk." He shot Catherine a glance and she just nodded.  
  
Sara knew that if Nick hadn't suggested they get out of the break room she most likely would have verbally bitten Catherine's head off. The thing was, Catherine wasn't who she was mad at. She was pissed at Grissom for getting upset because a victim looked like her. Why the hell did he even care? Even if he did, she certainly didn't think it justified the amount of times he'd called her in the three hours she and Nick had worked their scene.  
  
She was fuming by the time they'd reached the parking lot. "He is such a bastard."  
  
"Sara, he's concerned." Nick tried to keep his tone even as they walked toward the edge of the parking lot.  
  
She glanced over at Nick and scoffed. "Concerned? That man couldn't care about anybody if he tried. And you know what? I'm sick of it. I've had it up to here with his hot, cold, hot, cold. I'm done. Do you know how many times he actually called me while we were at that scene?"  
  
Nick shook his head and let Sara continue.  
  
"Seven. In three hours, he called seven times. Not once did he say what it was about. And did you see him in there? He couldn't even tell me why he'd called me in the first place." Sara looked exasperated. "All because I look like one of his victims."  
  
"Sara." The sound of Nick's voice made it seem as if he thought she might be exaggerating.  
  
She glared at Nick. "You don't believe me?" She pulled her cell phone off of her belt and tossed it at him. "Take a look for yourself."  
  
He let out a sigh and looked at the missed calls. As he glanced up, a faint smile flickered across his lips. "Eight. He called eight times, not seven."  
  
Sara rolled her eyes and started laughing in spite of herself. She raised an eyebrow and quipped. "Do you think that qualifies as stalking?"  
  
Nick handed her phone back to her and as he did, Sara furrowed her brow. "Oh, crap, I'm sorry, Nicky."  
  
He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it."  
  
Sara let out a sigh. "Why does he do this? Why do I let it get to me?" She looked at him with an almost pleading expression.  
  
"You had a thing for him. He's an ass for not picking up on it. Don't beat yourself over the head for it, Sara." Nick sounded concerned. "You know, you're too good for this."  
  
"I'm done. I mean it. I don't care what he does or what he says, I can't do this anymore." Sara let out a deep sigh.  
  
Nick looked momentarily worried. "You're talking about him, not the job, right?"  
  
Sara glanced over at him and chuckled. "Don't worry, Nick, you're all stuck with me for a while."  
  
Nick tried to restrain a smile. "Just wanted to check. I'm not sure I'd want to work here if I couldn't work with one of my favorite CSIs."  
  
Sara smirked. "I'll be sure to tell Warrick."  
  
Nick pulled Sara into a hug. "Hey, I'm here for you, you know that don't you?"  
  
"Thanks, Nick. I don't know what I'd do without a friend like you." She leaned her head against his shoulder and just let him hold onto her. 


End file.
